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Putting Public Health First

Colleen Rich — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 15:32:35 +0000

Putting Public Health First Colleen Rich Tue, 02/21/2023 - 10:32

In November, ��AV launched the first and only College of Public Health (CPH) in the Commonwealth of Virginia to meet the critical growing need for skilled, interdisciplinary health professionals and research across the state.

Responding to the commonwealth’s public health and workforce needs, Mason’s new interdisciplinary college will benefit the region and beyond.

“Mason’s College of Public Health graduates will bring new and diverse talent to Virginia’s health workforce, addressing critical shortages and building a strong talent pipeline for the long-term health of the region,” says Mason President Gregory Washington. “Individuals, families, and communities will benefit from discoveries, clinical care, and public health practice initiatives generated by this multidisciplinary college.”

With CPH, Virginia becomes the 36th state in the country to have a college dedicated to public health and will benefit from increased community engagement, workforce development initiatives, and research of consequence with a focus on eliminating health disparities.

The college enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in nationally recognized programs, including six undergraduate degrees, eight master’s degrees, five doctoral degrees, and six professional certificate programs. The college includes the School of Nursing and the departments of Global and Community Health, Health Administration and Policy, Nutrition and Food Studies, and Social Work.

AN INCLUSIVE APPROACH

Public health and health care fields are striving to better reflect and serve the nation’s diverse communities. At Mason, we believe inclusivity is our strength. To meet the region’s and the commonwealth’s needs, Mason’s College of Public Health is focused on an inclusive approach to public health education, research, and practice. Of the college’s more than 3,200 students, 60 percent are from historically underrepresented groups and 32.5 percent of its undergraduates are first-generation college students.

Mason’s proximity to Washington, D.C., and the federal health-related agencies, leading health systems, policy-making institutions, nonprofit community service organizations, and global health consulting management firms located here in Northern Virginia make it an ideal hub for researching, teaching, influencing, and improving public health and well-being.

With more than 500 partners, including Inova Health System and Sunrise Senior Living, the college is well positioned to address the full spectrum of factors that influence the public’s health and well-being throughout an individual’s lifespan.

THE INTERPROFESSIONAL ADVANTAGE

The college’s distinct combination of departments allows Mason to see public health differently and creates an interprofessional advantage for learning, research, and practice. Its interprofessional research and experiential learning fosters knowledge-sharing to improve outcomes.

"The College of Public Health's work on important issues, such as mental health, suicide prevention, opioid misuse, and providing health services to the underserved, is vital to our region's future health."

- Tim Kaine(D-VA), U.S. Senator

CPH prepares professionals committed to delivering inclusive health and well-being through competency- based curriculum and national workforce growth initiatives. The majority of its students graduate with inter-professional research, clinical, practicum, or capstone experience that sets them apart.

“As the first and only College of Public Health in Virginia, this launch reflects our academic and research mission and the pivotal leadership role we play in population health and well-being,” says Dean Melissa J. Perry, who joined Mason in August. “Our distinctive set of degree offerings, our inclusive approach to research and education, and our commitment to experiential learning opportunities prepare students to thrive in multicultural environments.”

Here are some of the ways Mason and the college are working to make a difference in Virginia.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Experiential learning and hands-on training are the hallmarks of a Mason education and imperative to preparing graduates to be career-ready. Through internships, practicums, research experiences, study abroad, or clinical practice, students train for their intended field and leave Mason with the confidence and skills to make

A difference in the health of people and populations. CPH delivers these experiences to students in a variety of ways while bettering public health, as detailed below and on the following page.

Interprofessional behavioral health clinic provides real-world experience: To combat the lack of affordable mental health services, Mason opened a first-of-its-kind interprofessional clinic where psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner students and clinical psychology doctoral students deliver services in collaboration with licensed faculty. It is the only clinic in the country for affordable psychiatric medication management services that also serves as an experiential learning environment for students.

Nutrition clinic provides hands-on dietitian training: In the new nutrition clinic at Mason’s Population Health Center, students have an additional source of hands-on learning. The sliding scale clinic trains graduate students in nutrition under the direct supervision of faculty who are registered dietitians or MDs.

Students gain global perspective on HIV/AIDS health care: College of Public Health students traveled to Amsterdam in 2022 to study how policies and access to care affect those with HIV/AIDS. From a global public health perspective, students learned about reducing stigmas associated with sexually transmitted infections, as well as how sexual health policy and culture in Amsterdam compare to the United States.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Improving forensic bruise analysis: School of Nursing professor and forensic nurse Katherine Scafide has long served people who’ve experienced violence. In her research, Scaﬁde is using alternate light sources technology to help identify hard-to-see bruising in a variety of skin tones. A $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice will help pair Scafide’s forensic bruise analysis with machine learning to improve documentation. She is working with Janusz Wojtusiak, director of Mason’s Machine Learning and Inference Laboratory, and engineering professor David Lattanzi on the project.

Preventing suicide among essential workers: A strong healthcare system isn’t just based on the health of its patients but is equally committed to its essential healthcare workers. CPH’s Farrokh Alemi and a team of researchers are studying how gender, racial/ethnic, medical history, and socioeconomic status affect suicide patterns among essential workers and whether COVID-19 contributes to suicide beyond these factors. The study, supported by the Gates Foundation, Healthcare Cost Institute, and Cornell University, aims to provide evidence-based policy recommendations and a public health framework with targeted mitigation strategies, medical interventions, and other recommendations to reduce sociodemographic disparities in suicide for patients, essential workers, and health care systems.

Improving access to care through telehealth: Mason researchers Alison Cuellar and Leah Adams, MA Psychology ’10, PhD ’14, received a grant from the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation to study health equity and the impact of Medicaid’s telehealth policy. The findings are expected to inform federal and state policymakers as they consider whether and how to extend telehealth policies and to identify remaining policy gaps—particularly among marginalized communities.

CPH researchers are collaborating with Mason colleagues from other units on a project using virtual reality to assist those struggling with addiction.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

When organizations like the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and AmeriCorps tackle critical health care workforce shortages, they turn to Mason. In 2022, the college received several $1 million+ grants to deliver major workforce initiatives.

Building the behavioral health workforce and improving access: The $1.9 million HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce and Training grant is helping improve access to behavioral health services for underserved and rural populations through the Mason Community–Academic Partnerships in Behavioral Health program, led by the Department of Social Work. The program provides yearly stipends for master of social work students and expands the existing partnership with the Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics. Professor Denise Hines codirects the project with Social Work chair Emily Ihara.

Preparing nurses to care for underserved populations: A $1.15 million HRSA grant helped create an interprofessional Learning Laboratory for Community Health that prepares students to work in medically underserved communities in inner cities and rural areas and with under-served populations such as aging adults and patients of color. Students design and implement evidence-based solutions and examine population health solutions for communities. School of Nursing professor Rebecca Sutter, MSN ’01, DNP ’12, leads the program.

Building workforce resiliency and well-being: A three-year $2 million cooperative agreement with HRSA supports the mental health and well-being of current and future health care workers through in-person and virtual education and training activities. The program supports nurses, social workers, public health professionals, and practitioners in rural and underserved communities. Professor Debora Goldberg leads the program.

Training public health workers to better connect patients with care: Funded through a $2.6 million grant from the Public Health AmeriCorps program, the Mason Data and Technology Driven Public Health AmeriCorps Training Program will improve patient referrals for both health and social determinants of health needs using data analytics and community-based relationships. Sutter and Wojtusiak, director of the Center for Discovery Science and Health Informatics, lead the program.

Addressing the critical nursing shortage in the region: The School of Nursing and MedStar Washington Hospital Center have partnered to create the Future Nurse Program, which prepares nurses for clinical practice. MedStar Health will cover in-state tuition for Future Nurse Program students in Mason’s Accelerated Second Degree BSN Program who agree to work for three years as full-time licensed registered nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center after graduation.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

The name College of Public Health more accurately reflects the pivotal role CPH plays in the health and well-being of the community and the region. The Population Health Center houses state-of-the art facilities for telehealth, research, and delivering clinical care. Operated by Mason’s School of Nursing, MAP Clinics serve the underinsured and uninsured communities in Prince William and Fairfax Counties by providing low-barrier access to acute and chronic health care services, school physicals and childhood immunizations, screenings, and mental health services for vulnerable populations.

"[Mason] plays a critical role in strengthening Northern Virginia's health care workforce and has long been a trusted partner in our efforts to improve access to affordable health care here in Fairfax and Prince William Counties."

- Gerry Connolly(D-VA), U.S. Representative

Innovating to meet the need of the community: MAP Clinics received the Innovative Practice or Partnership of the Year award as part of the Prince William County Chamber of Commerce 2022 Business Awards for its trailblazing work with the City of Manassas Park Public Health Department and Prince William County Health Department.

Using social media to promote hepatitis B screening among Korean Americans: Asian Americans, who make up only 7 percent of the U.S. population, make up 50 percent of all hepatitis B (HBV) cases. Foreign-born Asian Americans face many barriers to HBV screening, vaccination, and treatment because of lack of HBV-related knowledge, stigma, and limited access to health care due to language barriers and immigrant status. To address this public health need, a team of interdisciplinary Mason researchers, led by Professor Alicia Hong and the Korean American Outreach Group, developed “Let’s talk about liver cancer,” the first social media-based liver cancer prevention program specifically for Korean Americans.

New initiative promotes healthy aging and professional development: The college and ServiceSource Inc. have established the Northern Virginia Center on Aging, which will provide services, programs, and activities for older adults and workforce development and continuing education for the health care professionals who support them. Mason students will have access to practicums, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities on how to effectively work with older adults. The center is a recognized satellite center for the statewide Virginia Center on Aging.

Using personalized nutrition to help prevent type 2 diabetes: Professor Raedeh Basiri’s new clinical trial seeks to answer whether personalized nutrition intervention can be effective in lowering blood sugar in people with prediabetes, thereby helping to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and related cardiovascular diseases.

Mary Cunningham, John Hollis, Michelle Thompson, and Preston Williams contributed to this article.

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Five Podcast Episodes You Don't Want to Miss

Lynn Tierney — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 15:22:49 +0000

Five Podcast Episodes You Don't Want to Miss Lynn Tierney Tue, 02/21/2023 - 10:22

Ever wonder what it would be like to interview a serial killer? Or are you interested in current global affairs or politics?

��AV President Gregory Washington regularly hits the studio with thought-provoking conversations with faculty members and noteworthy guest speakers. In the Access to Excellence podcast, Washington aims to educate and ask pressing questions on an array of topics that affect not only our community, but the world.

Since the inaugural February 2020 episode, more than 40 guests have shared their insights, including astrophysicist and Visiting Robinson Professor Hakeem Oluseyi, Robinson Professor Spencer Crew, and former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole. They discuss answers to critical questions such as the essential keys to effective peacebuilding, the importance of a scientific worldview, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s true motives in invading Ukraine. Here, we take a look at the top five most popular episodes.

Episode 24: With Emergent Ventures, Tyler Cowen puts his money where his mind is.

Mason economics professor and alum Tyler Cowen, BS Economics ’83, gives his two cents on his optimism about the U.S. economy, fighting climate change, and how grants can help fight COVID-19. Emergent Ventures has raised more than $60 million to date and funded more than 200 projects.

Episode 26: COVID-19 mental health crisis is the second pandemic.

Director of Mason’s Center for Psychological Services Robyn Mehlenbeck educates listeners on important methods to combat stress caused by the pandemic.

Episode 33: The real story of the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving.

Mason religious studies professor John Turner tells the true tale of Thanksgiving and the dark truths of enslavement and betrayal.

Episode 39: Russia’s war in Ukraine is tied to corruption and organized crime.

Louise Shelley, founder and director of Mason’s Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, analyzes the ties between Russia’s corruption and crime and the war on Ukraine.

Episode 20: Doing the work: Anti-racism, inclusion, and disrupting inequality.

Dr. Washington talks with Wendi Manuel-Scott, associate professor of integrative studies and history, and Shernita Parker, assistant vice president for HR strategy and talent management, about leading the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force and Mason’s continuous efforts to stop racism and create an inclusive environment for all.

Other episodes welcome exciting faculty guests such as election expert Jennifer Victor, National Collaborative for Health Equity executive director Gail Christopher, award-winning novelist Helon Habila, and robotics and artificial intelligence expert Missy Cummings.

The Access to Excellence podcast is available on any of the most popular podcast platforms and at podcast.gmu.edu.

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Ingrid Guerra-López, Dean, College of Education and Human Development

Leading the Way

Colleen Rich — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 21:36:16 +0000

Leading the Way Colleen Rich Mon, 02/20/2023 - 16:36

At Mason, we believe that it will take all of us, together, to reimagine a better tomorrow.

��AV welcomed three new deans and a divisional dean in 2022 who are helping shape the university’s strategic vision and shepherd Mason to the next level. Ingrid Guerra-López, the new dean of the College of Education and Human Development, and Ajay Vinzé, the new dean of the School of Business, began their new roles on July 1.

Melissa Perry, the new dean of the recently renamed College of Public Health, started August 1 following the completion of a one-year Fulbright fellowship in Albania, where she focused on building capacity and training future environmental public health leaders.

Gurdip Singh, the new divisional dean of the School of Computing within the College of Engineering and Computing, also joined Mason on August 1, but he first spent the fall semester at the National Science Foundation (NSF). After completing his assignment as director of the Division of Computer and Network Systems in the NSF’s Computer and Information Science Engineering Directorate, he fully joined Mason in January 2023.

Learn more about them.

Melissa Perry, Dean, College of Public Health

Ajay Vinzé, Dean, School of Business

Gurdip Singh, Divisional Dean, School of Computing

Nathan Kahl, Anna Stolley Persky, and Preston Williams contributed to this story.

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Robot Love: Celebrating four years of Starship robot deliveries at Mason

Colleen Rich — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 16:06:15 +0000

Robot Love: Celebrating four years of Starship robot deliveries at Mason Colleen Rich Mon, 01/30/2023 - 11:06

It was January 2019 when ��AV became the first college campus in the United States to offer autonomous food delivery through Starship Technologies. Now Mason and Starship are celebrating four years of autonomous robot deliveries.

The service launched with 25 robots, which was the world’s largest fleet of delivery robots. The fleet has now grown to nearly 60 robots, serving the Fairfax Campus. The robots have delivered more than 333,000 orders and brought national and worldwide attention to Mason.

Here are some stats about Starship robots at Mason:

Since launch, more than 335,489 orders have been completed.
More than 17,334 people have placed orders.
Mason loves Starship robots, but the person with the most orders "really" loves Starship robots, placing 659 orders!
The robots have fueled student studies since 2019 with 39,828 coffees delivered.
Pizza might be the quintessential college food, but the most popular item for the past four years has been Steak ‘N Shake’s The Original Double ‘N Fries (ordered 13,637 times!)
If you’re at Whitetop Hall, you’re likely to spot a robot. This residence hall is the most popular delivery spot on campus.
Breakfast became a popular meal once the robots arrived, but it still can’t beat lunch, which is the most popular delivery meal of the day.
The robots have not only made an impression on campus, but they have a loyal following online too! Everybody wants a selfie with a robot, but Halloween is the prime “selfie season” for these robots thanks to Pumpkinbot!

Mason junior Madison Bryan-Barnes didn’t realize the robots delivered food when she first saw them on campus. “I always thought they were really cute and was surprised at how fast they moved,” she said. “The first time I ordered Starship I was having a really hard day, and I was grateful that I didn’t have to go anywhere to get my food. I like that Mason has a way for students to have their food delivered in a timely fashion.”

Pumpkinbot makes Halloween one of the most popular times to snap a selfie with a Starship robot.

Noting Northern Virginia’s changeable weather, the integrative studies major added, “I've definitely used Starship when it’s been super cold or hot!”

“It’s hard to believe that we’ve already been doing deliveries at Mason for four years,” said Chris Neider, director of business development at Starship Technologies. “The campus community was excited about the technology and the cool factor from the start. We’ve taken what we learned at Mason and have incorporated those lessons across the U.S. We’re looking forward to the next four years and beyond at Mason!”

“Starship robots allowed Mason to bring an innovative, safe, and convenient dining solution to students—which was well-received by the campus community and proved to be extremely helpful during the pandemic,” said Pascal Petter, executive director, auxiliary services, at Mason. “We celebrate the milestones achieved thus far and look forward to our collaborative work in the future.”

Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its zero-emission robots have made more than four million autonomous deliveries, traveled millions of miles, and make more than 140,000 road crossings every day.

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Try Out Starship Yourself!

Download the Starship Food Delivery app today.
Available on both iOS and Android.

Hungry for More?

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Around Mason: Favorite Photos of the Year
July 27, 2023
Robot Love: Celebrating four years of Starship robot deliveries at Mason
January 30, 2023
Delivery robots keep rolling during campus closure
April 8, 2020
Summer Snacks via Starship Deliveries
July 21, 2019

Finding Mason’s voice en español

Colleen Rich — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 15:26:34 +0000

Finding Mason’s voice en español Colleen Rich Wed, 01/25/2023 - 10:26

If you recently caught a glimpse of the familiar green and gold on the side of a Northern Virginia bus, you may have also noticed something new. Since May 2022, Mason has invited the families of prospective Hispanic students to learn about the university in its first Spanish-language marketing campaign.

The campaign features Spanish-language posters on buses and at Virginia Rail Express and Metro stations in Northern Virginia, as well as social media advertising and radio marketing aimed at the Hispanic community in the greater Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland area. The models in the ads are all Mason students.

In addition, radio marketing has included commercials during 2022 World Cup coverage and Spanish-language faculty interviews, which received an overwhelmingly positive response.

Spanish speakers are invited to learn more about Mason via a Spanish web presence, or to call for more information. The Office of Admissions and Enrollment and Office of University Branding, which operates the university switchboard, have both hired bilingual phone attendants to welcome callers and connect them with the offices that can help them.

Mason enrolls and graduates the largest percentage and number of Hispanic students among Virginia and Maryland public universities, which makes the expansion into Spanish-language marketing even more important.

“The Hispanic populations in Virginia and at Mason have both increased significantly in recent decades,” said Eric Woodall, associate vice president of brand marketing for the Office of University Branding. “This campaign is part of our efforts to better highlight our current Hispanic student population and ensure that prospective families have materials in Spanish to help them make informed decisions.”

“We are starting a lasting dialogue with households headed by those who may not be conversant in or comfortable speaking English, and are looking for way-finding to get their sons and daughters to and through college,” said Paul G. Allvin, Mason vice president and chief brand officer. “Our messaging mirrors what these families tell us they look for and find in a Mason education: flexibility, affordability, safety, and the existence of their own culture in campus life.”

Despite a nationwide increase in Hispanic college students, Hispanic young people are still the least likely among their peers to be enrolled in college or have a bachelor’s degree, according to the Pew Research Center. Taking this into account, the campaign’s first phase focused on raising parent awareness of Mason’s commitment to diversity and accessibility.

“What comes next for us is maintaining our presence in terms of Spanish-language advertising and looking to expand and strengthen our partnerships with Hispanic community organizations,” Woodall said.

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Birds of a Feather: Alum’s detective work can improve flight safety

Colleen Rich — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 18:37:21 +0000

Birds of a Feather: Alum’s detective work can improve flight safety Colleen Rich Wed, 01/11/2023 - 13:37

The pilot reported that his plane had hit something in the air big enough to knock a hole in the side of the wing. But when Carla Dove, MS Biology ’94, PhD Environmental Science and Public Policy ’98, received the strike sample's DNA results from the lab, she was stumped. “It kept coming back as whitetail deer…we sent it three times.”

Carla Dove in her lab. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution

The case of the deer in the sky was just one of the 10,000 bird strike cases Dove’s team investigates every year in the Feather Identification Lab at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. As program manager, the ��AV alum identifies the specific birds involved in collisions, with samples coming to her from various branches of the U.S. military, commercial airlines, and more.

It's work that can save lives and improve flight safety. Once the species is identified, airfield biologists work to mitigate the habitat to keep those birds from being attracted to the airfield, while engineers use the data to design safer aircraft and build models to increase awareness of this aviation hazard.

Dove has done this work for decades, going back to when she was pursuing her master’s and PhD at Mason. Mason’s flexibility, she said, was ideal. “The courses being offered at night allowed me to work during the day.”

She also credits the mentorship she received from the late Mason professor emeritus Carl Ernst. “He was extremely helpful, patient, and encouraging because he knew I was a first-generation college student and that I needed a little bit of extra help.”

Carla Dove examines a specimen. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution

Dove’s experience is typical of Mason’s ethos of welcoming and supporting every kind of student, with 40% of current students identifying as first-generation.

Because of Dove’s work with government and military entities, Ernst advised her to look at a policy PhD. Dove says her PhD helped her advance professionally. “It helps open doors; it helps write grants. It was something that I needed for my job here.”

And her job is a busy one. In addition to the aviation industry, Dove works on everything from crime scene investigations (think evidence from a down jacket or a pillow) to identifying the feathers used on anthropological artifacts like arrow heads, spear tips, and headdresses.

As for that collision supposedly caused by a deer at 1,500 feet? Dove took another look and found a tiny feather remnant. When she observed it under the microscope, it all clicked into place.

“It turned out to be a black vulture,” she said. The bird was likely feeding on a deer just before it soared into the sky and collided with the plane. “That for me was a case of ‘mind over molecules’…you always have to have an open mind [and] think about it in the broad sense—how does all this fit?”

It all comes down to being able to think differently—just one of the ways Dove and her alma mater are birds of a feather.

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Mason rector took an unconventional path to success

Colleen Rich — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 20:22:32 +0000

Mason rector took an unconventional path to success Colleen Rich Tue, 01/03/2023 - 15:22

As an undergraduate at ��AV, Horace Blackman thought he would major in business or economics, but he soon changed his mind.

Horace Blackman was elected as rector of Mason’s Board of Visitors in July, after serving as vice rector for the past two years. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

“I had a number of professors who were very well schooled in the classics, which gives you a fundamental education,” said the newest rector of Mason’s Board of Visitors. “It got me to think, got me to learn, got me to experience things I’d never experienced before.”

Upon graduation in 1993 with bachelor’s degrees in American Studies and English, Blackman paired his love of learning with his interest in business and worked in commercial banking. But he was soon drawn to an unconventional path.

In “one of the defining opportunities of a lifetime,” Blackman went to work for a small unknown company in an industry that no one had heard of.

“I went to work for AOL,” he said.

Blackman was employee number 485 at America Online, which, of course, didn’t stay unknown for long. Working at one of the earliest pioneers of internet service, Blackman says his time at AOL taught him about building a business and technology.

“I was not an engineering major, not a computer science major, but I found myself, two years later, giving speeches and telling rooms full of folks what the internet was about and how this business was going to work,” he says.

Blackman went on to earn an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and work in commercial consulting, where he was elected as rector of Mason’s Board of Visitors in July, after serving as vice rector for the past two years. His education, plus his hands-on experience, set him up for success with clients. “A lot of them were just trying to figure out how to do this thing called the internet.”

His consulting work later expanded to the health care field, and he eventually joined the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to manage and grow its IT initiatives. For his work, he was named a 2014 Federal 100 Award winner by Federal Computer Week and GovExec.

These days, Blackman is senior vice president and business unit leader at CGI, one of the world’s largest IT and business consulting firms. He’s also using his leadership skills at his alma mater. He was elected as rector of Mason’s Board of Visitors in July, after serving as vice rector for the past two years. Since his 2017 appointment, he has helped lead Mason through a presidential search, a global pandemic, and major social upheaval.

“It’s been an incredibly transformational four-and-a-half-year run,” said Blackman. “I have learned a lot.”

The foundation for his success in all ventures, he said, is his thirst for knowledge. “The day you don't learn is a day you didn't really grow. I got that from my time at Mason.”

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Conservation students tag monarch butterflies to help save the endangered species

Mariam Aburdeineh — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:05:52 +0000

Conservation students tag monarch butterflies to help save the endangered species Mariam Aburdeineh Mon, 12/05/2022 - 12:05

Monarch butterflies in Michoacan, Mexico. Photo by Getty Images.

Many creatures migrate to warmer habitats for the winter, but no insect does so quite as uniquely and spectacularly as the monarch butterfly.

From the United States and Canada, tens of millions of monarchs fly each year to a place they—and the previous butterfly generation before them—have never been before: tall trees found in a few mountain forests in central Mexico. Their tiny wings can take them on a roughly 2,500-mile transcontinental journey to these beautiful butterfly sanctuaries.

Protecting an Endangered Species

In late September, 18 undergraduates from the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation‘s (SMSC) Wildlife Ecology and Conservation program tagged monarch butterflies on their journey south to help researchers better understand their grand migration.

“It’s important to track [their movement] because monarchs are listed as an endangered species as of this summer [by the International Union for Conservation of Nature],” said senior environmental and sustainability studies major Nadia Gray.

Gray, who said she previously volunteered with the Norfolk Botanical Garden as a butterfly docent, is attending her second semester at SMSC. The Virginia Beach native said monarchs are facing threats including habitat loss, air pollution, and climate change.

“[Tagging] allows us to hopefully track some of them along the way south, but also to see what proportion of the tagged butterflies end up in central Mexico,” said Assistant Professor of Conservation Science Joshua Davis.

According to the nonprofit citizen-science program Monarch Watch, tagging also helps answer questions about the origins of monarchs that reach Mexico, the timing and pace of their migration, factors that impact their survival rates, and more.

SMSC student Spencer Harman (left) holds a monarch butterfly for tagging with guidance from Professor Joshua Davis. Photo by Mariam Aburdeineh.

Elusive Flyers

Using aerial nets with a delicate fabric to protect the butterflies, the students spent two afternoons in the fields at SMSC’s Front Royal campus to capture the fluttering insects.

On the second afternoon, the students caught three monarchs and placed sticker-like tags with serial codes on the butterflies’ hind wings.

SMSC student Nadia Gray using an aerial net to catch butterflies in the field. Photo by Cristian Torres.

“It is no small feat to catch these butterflies,” said Davis, who purchased the tags from Monarch Watch and has participated in the program with SMSC students since 2018. “If they’re going to survive this many thousands, many hundreds of miles journey south, they have to be pretty robust fliers.”

Even with many people, catching monarchs can be difficult. On the group’s first afternoon in the field, they were slightly ahead of most monarchs’ migration. The very few monarchs they did see were too swift to catch.

Still, the group learned more about butterflies and caught, identified, and released nine other butterfly species, including whites and sulfurs, and the common buckeye.

Information being recorded on one of the tagged monarch butterflies. Photo by Mariam Aburdeineh.

On the second day in the field, the butterflies were also difficult to catch because of the wind, but students like senior environmental science major Spencer Harman were determined to succeed. That kind of determination is central to the Mason experience, which challenges us to show up ready to work that much harder in our quest to solve problems through critical actions and research.

“More likely than not, [the monarchs] were actually in the trees,” said Harman, who caught one that dropped out of a tree in front of him.

The Place for Aspiring Conservationists

Being in the field for experiential learning is one of the highlights of Harman’s SMSC experience, he said.

“I’ve been interested in SMSC since high school and now that I’m here, it’s really interesting how specific we can get into the field of conservation,” said Harman, who grew up in Gainesville, Virginia.

“You get to have lots of hands-on experiences and then you get to meet with conservation professionals—it’s a really whole experience for anyone who wants to be, or is interested in, being a conservationist.”

Gray agreed.

“It’s just a good place to come if you need to get your foot in the door in the world of conservation, or if you want to make those connections with people that are working for, say, the Smithsonian or Virginia Working Landscapes.”

It’s a rewarding experience for professors, too.

“The thing I enjoy most about being here at SMSC is just the unique opportunities we have from an educational perspective,” Davis said.

“The student engagement is really fantastic,” he added. “It’s a self-selected group, and they’re really, really interested in this sort of thing. It makes teaching a lot of fun.”

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Meet the Mason Nation: Ric Chollar

Colleen Rich — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 15:33:56 +0000

Meet the Mason Nation: Ric Chollar Colleen Rich Wed, 11/30/2022 - 10:33

Ric Chollar

Job: Adjunct Faculty Member, Women and Gender Studies, School of Integrative Studies, Social Work

Ric Chollar Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications

Ric Chollar’s relationship with ��AV began in 1987 when he started teaching for the Psychology Department. In the late 1990s, he became the facilitator for an LGBTQ counseling group, and in 2001 he was hired as a consultant on what grew into the Safe Zone program. In the early 2000s, programs like Safe Zone increased LGBTQ visibility at Mason, and the LGBTQ resources staff at the time worked with faculty to institutionalize the first LGBTQ studies courses. From 2002 to 2017, Chollar was a staff member for what became the LGBTQ+ Resources Center, and he continues to teach as an adjunct.

Finding a Home at Mason: Chollar said he felt respected and encouraged by colleagues from the start, but that his time at Mason has required being humble enough to learn from mistakes. In his work, he aspires to achieve healing, compassion, justice, and liberation. “Even though it will look different for each person, how can I best support someone to become more free and more of who they know they are?”

It Takes a Village: Chollar’s involvement with Mason helped give shape to the university’s story of LGBTQ advocacy, one in which he insists there are many unsung heroes. Students initially took the lead on LGBTQ issues, and he credits the activist work of many longtime Mason faculty and staff. He said LGBTQ liaisons and leaders in offices and departments across Mason are key to successful support. Over the years, the LGBTQ+ Resources Center has consistently worked with the Women and Gender Studies Program; the office now known as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment; and Counseling and Psychological Services.

Strength from Diversity: Chollar said the efforts of programs like Safe Zone and events like Ryan Allen’s drag persona Reann Ballslee becoming Homecoming Queen helped increase the visibility of the LGBTQ community at Mason in the 2000s. One example Chollar gives of a cross-university collaboration that embodies the ideals of the LGBTQ+ Resources Center was when students advocated for inviting trans-rights activist Laverne Cox to campus. The resulting event was the one of the most successful Chollar has witnessed, and many students expressed finally feeling represented. “It is always important for us to work with students as whole, complicated people.”

Creating Spaces for All: Chollar encourages a balance between improving existing support and making spaces for a wider range of people. This includes acknowledging the importance of racial identity and that many LGBTQ students of color face specific oppression, as well as supporting trans and nonbinary people in leadership roles. “It’s not for us to think we're the experts. It’s about being open to learning from others, creating space for others to learn and lead, and ultimately, it’s about learning and working together.”

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